How I Met My Learning Outcomes: Summing Up a Whole Semester into a Few Words

Since the Midterm, I have continued to progress in the "reading new books" department. I was able to read a lot of Modernist literature in preparation for my final analysis paper and spend some time trying to understand their respective points of view. I read "The Great Gatsby" and "Tender is the Night" by F. Scott Fitzgerald in order to read more of the works by my favorite writer. I also had good experiences with poetry by T.S. Eliot and Ernest Hemingway. I got a little tired of Ezra Pound's Imagism and trying to decipher the various poems without the trusty aid of a Urrim or Thummim. I enjoyed reading Hemingway's short stories and experiencing the alienation and yearning of the "Lost Generation." As it stands, I still want to read more novels from different genres and periods.

There is no reason for this...I just like Monet.

The Story of My Paper: It is Finished

Where, oh, where to begin? This whole paper grew out of an idea that I conjured up while speaking with Professor Burton during our midterm interviews. I was just thinking about what I could possibly write about and the idea popped into my head to start looking at the Modernists. I had always liked them, but I had never analyzed a specific work in detail apart from a few poems and movements. So, from there grew a desire to analyze a novel from, or around, the Modernist era.

I started asking a few questions about the Modernists in a post dedicated to the greatest Modernist writers. I wanted to know more about Hemingway, Eliot and Fitzgerald. I was encouraged by the feedback that I received from Professor Burton and the possibilities for my future paper. After reading various works by the aforementioned authors and studying the Modernist movement a little more in depth, I settled on five potential thesis statements.

Playing the Devil's Advocate: A Defense of Holden Caulfield

The first half of the twentieth century was marred by the chaos and conflict of the World Wars that tore at the fibers of human morality. Much of the literature of the time mirrored society’s feelings of alienation and disenfranchisement. However, while the juvenile nature and colorful language of JD Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye” create a tone of alienation, they conceal an underlying theme of Holden Caulfield’s basic desire to find meaning in human connection, faith and spirituality.

My Adventures With the Brazen Serpent

It is always nice to get a little help from literary sources while writing a term paper. I found some very helpful insight into the character from "The Catcher in the Rye" from the Cyclopedia of Literary Characters. Go figure. The brief biographies include interesting character analysis that helped me develop my claim and craft my arguments. I was pleased to find that not only the main characters had been analyzed, but also the minor characters. This allowed me to (1) review each character side by side and see how each one affected Holden Caulfield and (2) see how each character fit into my claim. I was able to get a really good analysis of Holden's sister, Phoebe. I had not realized the important role that she played and how well she helped my claim. If it wasn't for the help, I would have neglected to use her in my paper.

The other useful literary source was the Magill On Literary Plus via BYU. I came up with a few sources that eventually contributed to my paper and helped make my arguments more clear. I tried not to use too many outside sources because I wanted to focus on my own analysis, but the sources that I did use allowed me to develop my arguments more clearly and give them more validity.

Here's My Rough Draft

The first half of the twentieth century was marred by the chaos and conflict of the World Wars that tore at the fibers of human morality. Much of the literature of the time mirrored society’s feelings of alienation and disenfranchisement. However, while the juvenile tone and colorful language of JD Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye” seems to create a tone of alienation and hopelessness, it instead reveals an underlying hope for meaning in human relationships and a yearning for faith and spirituality.

Dinner With Ali

This weekend, I stumbled upon an article written by sports writer Davis Miller in 1989 about a once in a lifetime encounter that he had with the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali. Unlike other non-fiction sports stories plagued by satire and cynicism, this one was genuine and tugged at the metaphoric heart strings of human emotion. It was one of those articles that helped me realize the emotional power of literature and human story telling. It reminded me of why I love to read literature. It inspired me to write better stories. It made me want to be better.

Here's Why I Care

I guess if I'm going to analyze an entire work of fiction I'd better be interested in my topic. When it comes to literature, I enjoy stories that force me to see things from a different perspective. I can experience through the eyes of the narrator and learn more about people and the world around me. That is, after all, the point of literature. So, when I first read "The Catcher in the Rye" in my 11th grade english class, I was caught off guard by Holder Caulfield's attitude. I, myself, was 17 years old at the time and had never experienced the heartache and let downs that so affected this young man. Nevertheless, I found that I connected with this protagonist's seemingly foreign character and after a while, his character didn't seem so foreign after all. I knew Holden because a part of him was also in me. 

After reading and rereading, I felt like I could relate more to Holden. With every experience I tried to learn more about him and understand things from his perspective. While I couldn't completely agree with some of his opinions, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I tried to see his redeeming qualities and ignore his juvenile missteps. Holden started to become somewhat of hero in my eyes. He was bold and daring and wise beyond his years. He was real.

That being said, most of my classmates who read the book hated Holden. They said he was stupid, shallow and immoral. I completely disagreed. When I read his story, I saw somebody who searched for meaning and substance in a world filled with "phonies" and superficiality. All he needed was a little guidance--a little help. I wanted to plead his case and help him out.

So, that is exactly what I aim to do in this paper. After analyzing the novel and seeing how different conversations and experiences affected Holden Caulfield, I can plainly see how this teenager represents all of those people who were searching for meaningful human connection and spirituality during a difficult time of world history marred by war and immorality. He gave a voice to a lost generation. Holden is an honest, intelligent and emotionally deep character who is just a little misunderstood. I still see Holden as a type of moral hero and I hope I will be able to adequately argue my opinion in my paper. So, that is why I care.  

Quotes, Quotes, Wonderful Quotes

1. This first quote is short and sweet, but it shows how Holden Caulfield yearns for meaningful human connection that won't leave him wanting.

“Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”

As complicated as Holden's character is, this simple quote shows how he still yearns to be loved in spite of the heartache that he has felt time and time again.

2. This most famous quote from the story is also from where the title is derived. It is a beautiful allegory for how Holden yearns for meaning in human relationships.

“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.” 

3. These final quotes demonstrate how Holden often thinks about religion and takes spirituality serious even if he doesn't exactly agree with Christianity. He searches for meaning in religion. . . even if he is a little sacrilegious.   

"In the first place, I'm sort of an atheist. I like Jesus and all, but I don't care too much for most of the other stuff in the Bible. Take the Disciples, for instance. They annoy the hell out of me, if you want to know the truth. They were all right after Jesus was dead and all, but while He was alive, they were about as much use to Him as a hole in the head. All they did was keep letting Him down. I like almost anybody in the Bible better than the Disciples. If you want to know the truth, the guy I like best in the Bible, next to Jesus, was that lunatic and all, that lived in the tombs and kept cutting himself with stones. I like him ten times as much as the Disciples, that poor bastard." 

"I'd bet a thousand bucks that Jesus never sent old Judas to Hell. I still would, too, if I had a thousand bucks. I think any one of the Disciples would've sent him to Hell and all — and fast, too — but I'll bet anything Jesus didn't do it."

And the Winner IS. . .

After sharing a potential thesis statement on Facebook all weekend and conversing with several
classmates, friends and family, I finally decided to write my paper on JD Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye." I first read the book in high school and really enjoyed the perspective that it gave me. Holden Caulfield, the book's main protagonist, is a troubled teen searching for meaning in life. I never liked how people wrote him off as a perverted, godless adolescent. I always thought that he had redeeming qualities and I could see a little bit of myself present in his character. That being said, I always chose to defend his character. . . and now I get to do that in my paper. My thesis is this:

While the juvenile tone and colorful language of JD Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" seems to create a tone of alienation and hopelessness, it instead reveals a veiled hope for meaning in human relationships and a yearning for faith and spirituality.

The book is one of the best examples of how Modernist literature comes off as alienated and indifferent but instead reveals a veiled hope for meaning and spirituality. I have enjoyed rereading the novel and finding instances where Holden Caulfield exhibits the above mentioned qualities.

That being said, I am still open to everybody's comments and opinions as I hope that it will inspire good conversation and better insight for my paper.

And then there were 5

I have been working and reworking these thesis statements all weekend and shared a few with my parents, sister and friends. I think there is at least one that will set the stage for an interesting argument. I'd appreciate any feedback, good or bad.

I Hope This Thesis Statement Gets Better...

I have always found it fascinating how the Modernist movement that was founded by Ezra Pound at the beginning of the 20th century changed the way people wrote and viewed literature. After the First World War, Modernism became the most popular form of literature, and for me, the most interesting.

The only rules of Modernism were, as Ezra Pound said, to "make it new." There was a constant alienation after World War I that is present in the different literature of the era. Consequently, this leads most people to believe that the Modernists were void of spirituality, morals and ethics. However, from what I have read, I believe that there is an ever-present yearning for meaningful human connection and spirituality. So, this has led me to ask myself a few questions:

The First Book of Andrew

Chapter 1

The Children of God begin to share the gospel with their brethren throughout the world by way of New Media. The righteous strive to use their bounteous good fortune to perform good on the earth. The wicked reject the good and use the New Media to fight against the children of God. There arise many contentions in the land of social media. The work of God prevails and continues to press forward as man prepares to meet his Redeemer.

1 And it came to pass that as a great multitude of people began snap-chatting and writing on people's walls, there arose many things which were great and helpful to the children of God.
2 Yea, even those children who were spread across the great waters and dispersed throughout the land in the latter days were able to partake of the great good in the world and share it with the needy, the sick and the afflicted.

Soundtrack of My Life

I have to admit that I initially overlooked non-fiction as a creative genre of literature. I guess I never realized that there were so many different possibilities when it comes to writing creative non-fiction. From biographies to cook books, non-fiction is a huge component of contemporary literature. In my ignorance, I neglected to realize that about 70% of what I read is actually creative non-fiction. Needless to say, my appreciation for non-fiction has grown and I now tend to notice the creative literary aspects present in most non-fiction writing. I think that making non-fiction creative and engaging is a real skill that most people often overlook.  

I love music. So, when I realized that music reviews are a legitimate form of creative non-fiction, naturally it peaked my interest in non-fiction. I have been reading music reviews from Rolling Stone magazine for a while. I spent a couple of hours reading the most recent reviews from some of my favorite bands. I found that many of the reviews are literary and very creative. For example the reviews I read for Daft Punk's newest album, Random Access Memories, and Vampire Weekend's Modern Vampires of the City were littered with allusions and artistic metaphors. The review for the Great Gatsby Soundtrack even concluded with the final lines of F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous masterpiece. The language engaged the reader and painted a lovely picture of the essence of each album. I continued to read reviews for Phoenix's Bankrupt and The Strokes' long-awaited album, Comedown Machine, among others. In every review I could see the intention to creatively express the essence of each album in its most basic form. I gained a better appreciation for creative non-fiction and now I have more motivation to read different genres of non-fiction.

Interestingly enough, most of what I write is creative non-fiction. I spent Fall semester writing for the The Student Review newspaper in Provo. I had the opportunity to write a couple op-eds and I even wrote a music review of my own. Studying this genre has definitely opened my eyes to the potential of writing creative non-fiction. I thought it sounded boring, but it really isn't. . . unless you're reading the phone book. 

A New Way of Seeing Things

Thinking of scripture as literature is a new concept to me. I first heard of the idea when I came to BYU and realized that there were classes like "The Bible as Literature." The idea sounded interesting to me, but I never really gave it much credit. So, to my surprise and delight, when I read the "Psalm of Nephi" and the subsequent posts regarding scripture as literature, something clicked. I now fully believe that scripture is valuable literature filled with plenty of literary merit. And why not? Does it not make sense that the creator of the universe and all language would want to eloquently communicate with his children on a spiritual level as well as in a perfect, beautifully constructed way?

The Importance of Reading "Ernest"

First things first. . . let us all just agree that Oscar Wilde was the first "hipster." He probably wore vintage fake spectacles and rode a bike to work, too.

As far as literature is concerned, "The Importance of Being Ernest" is one of the most delightful reads that I have come across in the last little while. I have been wanting to read an Oscar Wilde play for some time ever since I read the prologue to "Dorian Gray." Wilde's aesthetic view of literature, that is, art for art's sake, always intrigued me and I thought, "What better way to learn more of drama and the aesthetic movement than to read 'The Importance of Being Ernest.'" I dare say, I have not enjoyed so completely two and a half hours of reading so much until now. And then it hit me: that realization of why the aesthetic movement was so appealing. Did I learn anything especially critical, helpful or pertinent to my life? No. But I felt really good after I read, as if the art had somehow released me from stress or worry or frustration. In this regard, I understand intimately how art and literature make life so much better. If it were me, I would require all students of literature to review the play as I deem it a masterpiece of aesthetic beauty and comical brilliance.

After reading the first scene of the first act, I endeavored to read the play in its entirety. After a quick trip to the Provo library, I was able to embark on the 73 page journey just as Tuesday night turned into Wednesday morning. The play made such an impression that I called home to ask my mother if she had read it, as I hoped a good literary conversation would come of it. She said that she had not read it, however, she had thoroughly enjoyed the theatrical version with Rupert Everett and Colin Firth. Remembering our previous conversation of seeing and experiencing theatre, I determined that I ought to watch the film. . . and I was not at all disappointed with the interpretation of the play as the film had me laughing throughout.

I honestly believe that Oscar Wilde was inspired to pen such a genius comedy that transcends decades of societal changes and paradigm shifts. The basic themes of triviality, ethics, fraud, fate, irony and unrequited love still ring true to a modern audience 120 years later. The ever-brilliant Algernon and Jack continue to captivate audiences with their witty banter and controversial schemes at being "Ernest." I solemnly swear before all who read this post that I will sieze the first opportunity to see the play performed live. . . whenever that may be.

A Mid(Spring) Night's Dream

Drama is probably the one aspect of literature with which I am least familiar. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate drama so much, but I never really had the opportunity to relate. I always enjoyed acting and making movies, etc. but I never lived in a place that had a credible drama program, and I was always tied up in sports and music. Nevertheless, I remember the day when Shakespeare began to resonate with me and ceased being some sort of foreign jargon created solely to taunt my every attempt to comprehend it.

My grade twelve English class read "Macbeth" and, what I expect was an attempt to make the dialogue relatable to the class, my teacher, Bob Csongei, read out loud and performed the various voices of each character. Maybe it was just me paying more attention, but I had an epiphany of sorts and gained an appreciation for drama. I have attended a few plays and musicals since then and I even read Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" just for fun.

Even with my amateur status with regards to drama, I had never experienced quite anything like Shakespeare in the Park. After walking right past it several times without realizing and meandering through several baseball diamonds, I finally spotted Richard and a few other classmates right as the show's prologue concluded. I had previously seen "A Midsummer Night's Dream" done by a High School drama club, but this experience was unique.
The quality of the acting and the interpretation of the play exceeded my expectations. The characters of Puck and Nick Bottom were hilariously performed and the 2-hours-long play seemed to go by quickly as the sun set and cool shadows stretched out over the park. Overall, I think the experience has inspired me to go see the other plays from the list (Urinetown seems to be a big hit with everybody) and I have more motivation to read plays outside of class. I think I will read one of Oscar Wilde's plays as I have always had the curiosity, but never the drive to crack open the cover.

I am excited to learn more about drama and explore its significance within the literary world. I have a good feeling about it and can't wait to get started.

Well, let's see what I've learned...

It's hard to believe that the semester is nearly at the halfway point. If it were not for our learning outcomes and my personal learning plan, I doubt I would have been able to learn so much thus far. I have had good experiences with Goodreads because I have been able to analyze where I stand as far as literary familiarity is concerned, and I have also been able to organize my desire to read more books. I plan on checking more novels off of my list by the end of the semester and I will definitely continue to use Goodreads after the end of the semester. As far as the five learning outcomes are concerned, I have made improvements in some aspects while I am still striving to progress in others. My personal learning plan has evolved over the last three weeks, but I feel like that is a good thing.

As far as knowing basic literary terms, I have been able to view the "Terms to Know" list over the past few weeks and check them off as I grasp their meanings fully. I try to employ the literary terms that I notice in all the works that we read. I specifically tried to do this in my Personal Literary Narrative where I analyzed Lord Byron's "She Walks In Beauty."

Updated Personal Learning Plan

I don't know if I ever formally posted my personal learning plan or if I just wrote about what I expected out of my experience this semester in my first post. . . At any rate, I have an updated personal learning plan in order to fulfill that requirement and put into a post all that I desire from the course.

Know Basic Literary Terms:

Study basic literary terms and get to the point where I can point them out while reading a specific work.
Notice literary elements and devices as second nature.

Know Basic Literary Genres and Representative Texts:

Read works from each genre and become familiar with the different literary movements.
For example, read Romantic Poetry by Wordsworth, Whitman, Coleridge and Blake and understand the ideas of using nature and the sublime to find the true nature of things.

Write Literary Analysis:

Read something for or outside of class each week and analyze it for its literary arguments.

Engage in literature creatively and socially:

Create posts that are enjoyable to read and make useful and thoughtful comments on others' posts.

Use communication tools and pedagogical methods:

Become more familiar with blogging and push myself to become more familiar with blogging methods in order to create the best posts possible that engage teach the reader.

So far, I have been able to keep up with my plan and progress in my knowledge of literature and social media. I have read a novel from my list and a couple books of poetry. I aim to continue to follow my plan and revise it as need be.

Why Are These Poems So Short, eh?

Imagism, imagism, imagism. . . I always loved the week when we studied Imagism. The poems are so stinkin' small. I could blaze through my homework and feel accomplished that I had read ten poems in just ten minutes. Then I went to college and learned a few things about WHY these poems were so short.

Imagism was really the first official movement of Modernism at the beginning of the 20th century. It focused on the precision of imagery and extremely clear language. This was done no better than by Ezra Pound. Born in Hailey, Idaho, (anybody ever been to Hailey? Didn't think so.) Pound was one of the expatriates that lived in Britain and France after World War I who championed the Modernist movement of literature alongside Hemingway, H.D. and Eliot. Imagism was born from the idea that succinct language could isolate a single image and reveal its essence. This is plainly evident in Pound's poem "In a Station of the Metro."

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough. 

At first glance, the poem seems laughable. As Briggs said, the title is nearly as long as the entire poem. Nevertheless, the deep meaning of the poem and its image can be unlocked with a simple analysis and a bit of imagination. The clear juxtaposition of the two seemingly abstract images, faces in a crowd and petals on a black branch, entice the curious mind to search for a connection. . . and i promise there is one. Just close your eyes (after you read the post because how are you supposed to read if your eyes are closed, huh?) and try to picture the image. 

The title of the poem suggests that the faces in the crowd are emerging from a subway or metro. The wet bough also creates the image of a rainy day or dewy morning. Now, I don't know about you, but I imagine a crowd of people walking up the stairs from the metro, on their way to work some early, rainy morning in London or New York. Everyone is packed together and they move like a sea of black trench coats and bowler hats.

The grey cement walls that line the subway frame the ominous sea of black. Like a pink petal of a newly blossomed flower, the faces of these people emerge from the sea of black like flowers emerging from their soggy, black boughs. The essence of the image is captured and a vivid image is now branded onto my brain.

I feel like true beauty can be found in all things. The Imagists were just trying to unlock that potential beauty that had been buried beneath preconception and superficiality. By using sharp language and focusing on creating image, the Imagists dug out the essence and true beauty of ordinary images from beneath the 6 feet of metaphorical dirt. Beauty, therefore, could exist everywhere and in such simple things as faces in a crowd in the station of the metro.

  

My Pal, Kermit, and His Friends

I don't remember what grade it was, but I do remember the first poem that I had to memorize for class. You see, there was a poetry competition and the winner got to go to New York and recite the poem in front of a big audience. I, having been cursed with stage fright, terrified myself with thoughts of reciting a poem in front of so many people. It was hard enough to do it in front of a class filled with my friends. At any rate, I chose the shortest poem from the list without looking at what it said or how it sounded. Lucky for me, that poem was Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky." Talk about a headache! It took me hours to memorize that little poem and then when I got up in front of the class I could barely spit out the syllables. Needless to say, I did not get to go to New York. Since then I have always kind of had a special spot reserved for that tongue-twisting, opium trip inspired poem. I happened to stumble upon the Muppet's rendition of it and laughed the whole way through.

 

Listening to poetry is always a new and different experience. I love hearing a recited poem for the first time. I remember one time in another English class where we watched The Simpsons' version of "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe recited by Homer Simpson and James Earl Jones. It was the first time that I had seen poetry as relatable and understandable. Since then, I have always tried to read poetry out loud as I feel like that is its natural habitat. The experience is always intensified and the poem takes on a new personality. For me, that is the way poetry should be.